Newberry College To Offer Social Media Degree

NEWBERRY, SC (WLTX) Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have drastically changed the way we find information and communicate with others.

With more than one billion users. Its creating thousands of jobs.

For most of us you can't go a day without checking your Facebook or Twitter.

It's an obsession that Newberry College is tapping into in efforts to help students get jobs.

On any college campus, students sit for hours glued to their screens.

They're not always doing homework.

Chances are they're tweeting, posting pictures and updating their status.

Tania Sosiak is a professor at Newberry College and she says social media has changed everything we do. "Look at all the things that happen with social media, the Arab Spring, the political arena, how our president was elected with social media. Its just so exciting me."

Sosiak isn't the only person on campus that's excited.

Newberry College announced a new Social Media Major that will be offered in the Fall.

"It's like a new pioneer and they are like wow I can make money doing this, " said Jennifer Bailey Bergan a social media consulant for several companies in the Midlands like GraySails, a web development company and Adluh Flour.

She says Newberry College took a big step in becoming pioneers for creating the major.

"It makes me proud that this is happening in South Carolina because that is a big deal in our state, " said Bergan.

She says the growing trend has become another form of customer service for most companies.

"Customers are going to try to get in touch with you and now days many of them are going to contact you through Facebook and Twitter"

And that first impression is crucial.

"People need to be properly trained how to appropriately respond as a business to customers in these channels."